January 30 Al Hilal SC Vs Mamelodi Sundowns (Amahoro Stadium, 21:00 CAT) Al Hilal Omdurman head coach Laurențiu Reghecampf has labelled CAF Champions League Group C a “group of death,” citing the strength and competitiveness of all four teams involved. The Sudanese giants earned a valuable point in Pretoria, South Africa, after holding Mamelodi Sundowns to an entertaining 2–2 draw at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Friday, January 23. ALSO READ: CAF CL: Ten-man Al Hilal hold Sundowns in Pretoria The result left both sides level on five points, with Sundowns top of the group and Al Hilal in second place. They are just one point ahead of St Éloi Lupopo, who moved into third position after defeating MC Alger in Lubumbashi on Sunday. With the standings so tight, the race for qualification remains wide open, with none of the four teams guaranteed a place in the quarterfinals. Al Hilal are unbeaten in their last three group matches, having secured a win away to MC Alger in Kigali and draws on the road against St Éloi Lupopo and Mamelodi Sundowns. While the results have put Al Hilal in a strong position to progress, Reghecampf insists there is still everything to play for. “We must understand that Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Hilal are two top teams in the group, but Éloi Lupopo and MC Alger are also amazing teams,” Reghecampf said. “So we’ll see. “It will be a nice competition with nice games, and that’s why they call our group the group of death.” Al Hilal begin the return leg of their group-stage fixtures on Friday, January 30, when they host Sundowns at Amahoro Stadium. Ahead of the encounter, the Romanian coach expressed optimism about his side’s chances. “We have five days to prepare for the game against Mamelodi Sundowns. We play at home, and I hope we are going to win,” he said. “I think we need to reorganise again for the return match. We want to build on the point we got away and look for a win at home, which can help us get closer to qualifying from the group.” Meanwhile, MC Alger remain bottom of the standings, but a home victory over St Éloi Lupopo in Algiers would keep their qualification hopes alive.
